Anyone fool with the 5.7X28

[Bill in Oregon]

I know ... another newfangled cartridge with seemingly limited practical applications. I'm just a sucker for a new flavor so am daydreaming over the cheap ones -- the PSA Rock and the Tisas PX-57.
One of the guys let me shoot his Keltec P-50 when I was a range officer a few years back. It was fun although not remarkable, as that is such an odd platform. These smaller, slimmer pistols are more interesting -- especially as the price of factory ammo has fallen to close to 40 cents.
I have been looking at the reloading issues and there are many, but who doesn't enjoy a challenge?

[JFE]

It would probably make more sense in a compact bolt action rifle.

[GunnyMack]

When it first came out I thought it would make a great prarie dog / chuck/ coyote gun. Sadly it's not anything more than a hornet/bee class of cartridge. I already have both so my interest faded.

[CowboyTutt]

I know a guy here who has one and loves it I'm sure he will be along shortly. However, I don't think he reloads for it. I did do some research on handloading for it years ago and decided not for me. I think they knew that when they designed it-built in obsolescence. I agree in a handgun, its kind of neat, but in a rifle? Plenty of other 22 calibers out there. Just my opinion though of course. -Tutt

[Bill in Oregon]

Well I see KelTec just announced their little folding SUB-2000 carbine in this chambering. I shot a friend's KelTec in 9mm and watched off-duty LEOs and practical pistol shooters having a ball with these carbines fitted with red dots on steel target courses.
But I am more interested in the sleek semi-autos.

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/con ... -5-7x28mm/

[2ndovc]

Great memory Tutt!

I have one of the Ruger PC carbines and really enjoy it. Crazy accurate and almost zero recoil. The cost of factory ammo has come down considerably. PSA and Natchezz put it on sale frequently. I've picked up boxes of 50 for $25 for FMJs and ballistic tips less than $30. I don't shoot it enough to reload at this point, but I'll pick up a set a dies eventually. I almost bought the 57 pistol as a companion piece and will eventually. I'm betting it will take down a raging woodchuck with a proper shot placement pretty easily. I've dropped them in their tracks more than once with a .22LR.
The cartridge has an interesting history and after a friend let me shoot his PS90, I had to have one. Especially whit the Ruger running half the price!

jb

[Bill in Oregon]

I was quite surprised to find out that this cartridge is 34 years old.

[6pt-sika]

One of my buds got one for Xmas one year a gift from his wife . He and I took it out and shot it a good bit one day . Six months later he decided he wanted a Springfield Armory 1911 comped race gun I had , so we traded and I got some cash . I never did the paperwork on the FN Herstal just listed it on Gunbroker at the shop and sold it . Got way more than what I had in it . Did I forget to mention I got 250 rounds of ammo with it when that stuff was hard to get .

[6pt-sika]

Great memory Tutt!

I have one of the Ruger PC carbines and really enjoy it. Crazy accurate and almost zero recoil. The cost of factory ammo has come down considerably. PSA and Natchezz put it on sale frequently. I've picked up boxes of 50 for $25 for FMJs and ballistic tips less than $30. I don't shoot it enough to reload at this point, but I'll pick up a set a dies eventually. I almost bought the 57 pistol as a companion piece and will eventually. I'm betting it will take down a raging woodchuck with a proper shot placement pretty easily. I've dropped them in their tracks more than once with a .22LR.
The cartridge has an interesting history and after a friend let me shoot his PS90, I had to have one. Especially whit the Ruger running half the price!

jb

I first became aware of this cartridge about twenty years ago when living in PA . The club I was a member of there rented the range out for the gun manufacturers to show new stuff to the local law enforcement and one of the things was the FN fully auto Bullpup looking thing in 5.7x28 . After it was over we raked up about 2/3rds of a 55 gallon drum of fired brass . I kept a handful I always thought it would be a neat round to use for a bench gun build , but like a lot of other ideas it never came to fruition .

[Paladin]

I used them in the military for a job and didn't pursue it any further. My wife bought a Ruger 5.7 pistol so I built her an AR that took FN 50 Rd Mags as her car gun. She likes it for the lack of recoil and mag capacity. It works for soft skin and targets short-range.

5.7 AR.jpg

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m on the fence about this cartridge. Incredibly easy to shoot well and over extended distances. I have owned a number of different guns chambered for it.

Currently I have a Rock. It’s more accurate in my hands than the FN pistols.

The Fort Hood incident showed that it can be effective but for my use I keep defaulting to a .357 for daily carry. But I could see a use for it that is best not talked about in polite company.

[AJMD429]

.
“…After it was over we raked up about 2/3rds of a 55 gallon drum of fired brass…”

Wow….

That much brass, if one reloads, would almost in itself justify the purchase of a firearm to use it in…!

[CowboyTutt]

The situation for reloading it is scarcely better than it was before. There is still no coated virgin brass available so you need to use once fired cases. The factory coating is necessary so the case shoulder does not stick in the chamber when firing in most guns. Once fired cases appear to be pretty cheap though. The coating cannot be stripped off and must be preserved during the reloading process. This includes using sizing dies that don't damage the coating either (according to this source the Lyman die appears to be the best one.) Some cases will need an extra inspection of the primer pocket to see if the factory ammo was crimped. I guess it really is not that difficult to reload for anymore as people seem to have figured it out.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+ro+ ... uFZpo,st:0

-Tutt

[Bill in Oregon]

Tutt, I am informed that Elite Ammunition offers a lacquer spray for the purpose of restoring the coating, but he wants $52 for a can of it.
The coating issue has been discussed for more than a decade with lots of creative efforts to resolve the mystery. Some say the coating is critical to the function of the delayed-blowback actions, while others say it is only to prevent galling as the rounds move through the magazine.
I don't know if the newer pistols -- such as PSA's Rock and the Tisas PX-5.7 -- delay unlocking long enough to prevent shoulders from blowing forward. I always wondered why so many empty cases I found as a range officer in New Mexico had almost no shoulder left, and figured at least one shooter had a 5.7 with serious timing issues.

That was just an excellent Youtube. Thanks for the link!

[CowboyTutt]

Thanks for the update on the coating situation Bill! I didn't find that information. Fifty two dollars for a can of spray seems terribly excessive. I think there are enough drawbacks that I would not want to reload for it still. It simply is not that awesome a cartridge to me personally. But its good to know that people seem to have figured out how to do it.
I appreciate what you do Bill!
I only post 'Tube video links if I think they are of good value.
Thanks Amigo!
-Tutt

[Bill in Oregon]

Thanks Tutt. I appreciate all the contributors here.

[GunnyMack]

Home Depot has 2 different spray laquers, 7 bucks and 13 bucks and it would be worth a try but like Tutt says- it's not that great a cartridge to bother with chasing brass, setting back shoulders just to find the gun won't feed...

It won't do anything my 22 Hornet or 218 Bee can't do other than it 'goes fast '